Juju's breakout shows that he brings his own star power to the Reese name; Trae Young debuts as the Wizards lose to Jazz
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Posted By: Jordan Davis on March 06, 2026 Normally, a game in the beginning of March between two teams that are 13th and 14th respectively in their conferences and have been gearing up for the NBA draft since the turn of the new year wouldn’t make much in the way of exciting storylines or talking points. Well, that was not the case on March 5 at Capitol One Arena as the 16-45 Wizards hosted the 18-44 Utah Jazz. It’s not every day that a team debuts a 4-time All-Star in their prime to their roster, but that’s just what happened Thursday night as Trae Young began his Wizards tenure. “ I just wanted to go out there and have some fun, bring some energy,” and Trae did just that, opening it up for the Wiz for their first two of the game with a beautiful take to the cup that just emphasizes how easy it is for the star guard to get his buckets. The reason Wizards fans are understandably excited about the former All-NBA guard joining the team is his ability to get others involved, which makes him one of the very best playmakers in the game right now. “It’s more about getting to learn my teammates playing in these games. Tryna see how I can make their lives easier and vice versa,” and Trae showed that aspect of what he’ll bring to the team instantly when, with 8 mins left in the 1st, he threw a beautiful no-look pass to 3rd year wing Bilal Coulibaly for a 3-pointer, which at that point gave the Wiz the lead. From there it was all Jazz though as they led by as much as 21 in the contest on the shoulders of Star Rookie Wing Ace Bailey who led all scorers with 32 points on 12-19 shooting including 7-11 from 3. 2nd year players Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski also got their licks in as well posting 27 points, 11 assists, and 20 points and 14 rebounds respectively showcasing the potential star power of their young core that is without Guard Keyonte George, Forward Lauri Markkanen, and Center Walker Kessler amongst others. Despite this, the Wizards fought back into making it competitive bringing the deficient as close as 5 behind the efforts of Young, Coulibaly and the star of the contest Washington Big Man Julian “Juju” Reese with 18 points (5-7 FG, 8-8 FT) and 20 rebounds setting a new season high for the most rebounds by an individual player in a game for the Wizards. “Just hustle, just wanting it. Not really the biggest guy out there, just having heart and doing what you do best and mastering the things that I’m already good at. Just do my job,” was Reese's answer when asked about the significance of the 20 boards he was able to grab. Needless to say, with the introduction of Trae as a Wizard and the growth of young players like Julian Reese, amongst others, this season of Wizards basketball, even in the midst of what would be seen as a hopeless team, is offering a sense of optimism. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Jordan Davis
Camera Operator, Journalist, Broadcaster, and Host, University of the District of Columbia University of the District of Columbia class of 2025 Member Since February 2024 |
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